What could be better than all you can eat (handle appropriately) beer and pizza with fellow dog lovers?

Bringing your dog to enjoy his or her dog friends.

That’s Yappy Hour at the Greenville Humane Society.

The first of eight gatherings was held last night, sponsored by Camp Bow Wow. The business also will hold a monthlong drive to gather supplies for the Humane Society. Trey Francis, a local singer and guitar player, was the featured performer.

Dog lovers are invited to bring their spayed/neutered vaccinated dog for some romp time in the fenced yard beside the Greenville Humane Society on Airport Road.

Kim Pitman, executive director of the Humane Society, said the event offers lots of networking and fun.

One memorable moment, she said, was during a hot summer evening when a Labrador retriever was chasing a ball and did a belly flop into the 6-foot wading pool.

“Everybody was soaked,” she said. “Classic Lab. Hysterical.”

She said the event is particularly fun because of the array of dogs in attendance.

“You feel like you’re at a dog parade,” she said.

Human attendees can sit in the mini-pavilions that were designed and built by Clemson University architecture students. The pavilions feature movable walls and benches that can be positioned based on sun and wind and were designed specifically for Yappy Hour.

Yappy Hours are held the second Thursday of the month through September.

The event is organized by PAWS, an organization formed by young professionals to help the Humane Society with community outreach. The cost is $8.

The Humane Society also will have a fundraising event May 1. The Pawmetto Derby Party will be a Kentucky Derby-themed event at the Old Cigar Warehouse on Main Street in Greenville.

Pitman said tickets are on sale now. The $65 ticket gets an open bar and all sorts of bourbon infused and interesting dishes prepared by Saffron’s.

But the event of that evening will likely be the Run for the Noses. Modeled after events held out West, adoptable puppies will race in what Pitman called the puppy bowl of horse racing. Different groups and businesses will sponsor the puppies in various heats, and an overall winner will be crowned champion.

“It’s quirky fun,” said Pitman. “Which is the hallmark of the Humane Society. Everything we do is for the salvation of the pets, but we are quirky.”